The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-08-29
sCHooLRooM EXPERIENCES.

Stories Gathered by Teachers Illustrating
Chiidren's Unconscious Wit and Wisdom
Boston Globe
Thu invitation extended recently by the Globe
to school teachers everywhere to contribute in
cidents happening in their schoolrooms and
bright SAYINGS from the mouths OIL little ones mas
been numerously accepted.
One writer says: One day when was taking
the ages of the pupils boy told me he was
seven.
"Seven7o asked. "When7'
Last April" he replied.
II think you are mistaken about that; you
W are seven when you came to me- You must
hive been eight last April"
"Yes'm," he answered, II was eight. but
mamma said l was too small for eight, and she
put me back to seven
Another child went to buy a comb at a store
near the schooho She returned without
one. saying 81 could not buy comb for they
were Is cents apiece and 20 cents apiece, and
had only twenty cent piece" She thought she
must pay the exact amount
One bright little boy, who has now grown to
be quite young man. and who is connected with
the Globe, told me that he had a book at homo
that would be interesting to read to the scholars.
! asked the name The Life of Washington
Losing"
Here is the way a boy put 'heminy" in a
sentence: "Hominy marbles have you2"
And this is how some authorizations were ex-
first base" A. B.. a bachelor of arts. "a
bachelor who paints pictures" No. nothing"
Here are some specimens of geography: 1.-THE
largest city in the middle Atlantic States is
Albany. on the Jugean of the Miss. and Mohawk
rivers"
THE largest State in America is Maine; it's
by the Arctic ocean, south by Africa, east by
Mexico and west by California"
The plural of fence is gate; the plural of city
Musical put in a sentence in this way:
'Jane Smith is music girl"
One little girl drew map of Maine the
blackboard, and wrote Maine" beneath it.
"Why did you write that1' asked the teacher
$50 the children would know it Maine"
In some of the higher grades the teacher read
extracts from the lives of Webster Franklin
and others, and asked to have them reproduced
in the pupils language. The reproductions were
wonderful. She was surprised to find that
webster was the confounder of the American
Constitution. Benz amin Franklin was Trainer
and signer by trade He framed and made
sign of the Constitution. He also invented light
ming
One teacher who followed the object method
was talking about the cow and the various uses
to which its bones, flesh, etc. were put. Now
what do the skin forP' she asked. There
a long pause Finally bright little girl
lisped, II know. teacher, l know; they makes
little cows out of it.
Another schoolmaa am writes: "Some few years
since my boys and girls were to give enter
tainment to raise library for our school. There
was to be a play, THE Drama of the Ceutu-
ries, and for this some eostu ming necessary.
The girls had the recitation rooms for dressing
rooms. and the boys took the girls clothes-room
for theirs They were to dress during an inter-
mission while the audience rested and ate ice
cream. The girls seemed to forget that the boys
wanted to change their clothes, and kept run
ming through the room to get the supply of
cream. Pretty soon one of the boys came to the
door and said in the most despairing tones, "Miss
NJ. never shall get my clothes on if those
girls don't keep out OF the way. If another goes
through here I'll knock her head off.
Not another went that way.
had been giving talks physiology to a
class of small children. and naturally wishing to
know how much they understood of it, said:
"Benne, what do we call this part of the body
to which the arms and legs attachedT
a
Stomach"
why. Bonnie. is all this large part of your
body your stomachf'
He WAS unable to tell, so to help the matter I
said: sit contains much that it has the
name an article In which pack things
when we go away. What do you put your
clothes in when you go visitingW Bennie under
stood that, and knowing he had it right that
time said boldly: I'm a vase."
regretted that had FORGOTTEN the difference
between the masculine and feminine amount of
baggage.
was obliged to teach these same children
grammar. In explaining the formation of
plurals showed them by words the black
board how it was done, and then asked them
to tell me when the woods needed when es,
SO said:
''Bennie, when do 70 add es to form the
pluralp
when it is needed" was Bennie's very true
and unexpected reioinder. It sounds pert on
paper but not from ths lips of the sweet eight
year-old who said it.
The following little incident amused me
greatly. We had q letter the board 30 be-
corrected and were ready to leave it when one
mark:
THAT may be all right for girls but boys
don't do that way"
why not2 What is wrong about thatT
asked. "Oh." he said, ''boys don't say. Dear
Miss M they say, My Dear Miss NJ / don't
know what girls say"